Honda’s significantly revised RA107 is now nearly a full second quicker than the single seater of its junior team Super Aguri, according to sources.
While the majority of the F1 world ran at Silverstone last week, the Japanese squads tested alone and privately at Jerez in southwestern Spain, away from the glare of the media and rival outfits.
Under wraps was the running of the unofficial ‘B’ car, boasting new wings and new front suspension, which is to debut at Magny Cours.
“With Super Aguri we can compare not only our lap times but also the data so we can better understand our strengths and weaknesses,” said technical boss Shuhei Nakamoto.
In its former guise, the RA107 was only a few tenths quicker than Super Aguri’s SA07 – which is basically a modified version of last year’s works Honda – at recent races.
But according to sources after Honda’s private Jerez test, that gap has now extended to nearly a full second per lap.
“We expect to make a small step forward in performance at the next race,” engineering director Jacky Eeckelaert confirmed.
